Federal grand jury to look into Richie Farmer, lawyers say

Apr. 18, 2013

Written by

The Courier-Journal

FRANKFORT, KY. — A federal grand jury in Lexington is scheduled to consider matters related to Richie Farmer’s tenure as Kentucky agriculture commissioner on Friday, according to two attorneys familiar with the investigation.

“My understanding is that there have been persons subpoenaed to a grand jury and given a date of this Friday to appear,” Farmer attorney Guthrie True said in an interview Wednesday. “The persons subpoenaed indicate this would relate to Commissioner Farmer’s administration.”

True declined to say what matters relating to Farmer’s tenure as commissioner may be under investigation. Nor would True identify the people he understands have been subpoenaed to testify on Friday. “There have been a few folks subpoenaed, but I believe they formerly worked in the Department of Agriculture,” he said.

Brent Caldwell, a Lexington defense attorney, said Wednesday that he represents a former department employee who has been subpoenaed. Caldwell declined to identify his client or comment on matters under investigation.

Kyle Edelen, spokesman for Kerry B. Harvey, the U.S. attorney in Lexington, said he could neither confirm nor deny any investigation.

Farmer, a former basketball hero at Clay County High School and the University of Kentucky, was elected agriculture commissioner in 2003 and 2007 by landslide margins. But a highly critical state audit of his tenure was released last year and 42 counts of ethics violations were brought against him last month by the Executive Branch Ethics Commission.

The audit and ethics charges alleged a broad array of abuses, including wasteful spending of state and federal funds; use of state employees to perform work on his house and take him on personal trips; personnel violations, including his hiring of his girlfriend in a no-work job; and acceptance of lavish gifts, including hunting rifles left over from a 2008 convention of state agriculture commissioners in Lexington.

The Courier-Journal reported last September that the FBI had joined an investigation by Attorney General Jack Conway into possible criminal matters relating to Farmer’s years as agriculture commissioner. Allison Gardner Martin, spokeswoman for Conway’s office, said Wednesday that she could not confirm any ongoing investigation of Farmer.

True said Farmer has not been subpoenaed. “I’m disappointed to hear a grand jury is now involved because I’ve said from the start that I don’t believe any of these matters should be treated in any criminal context,” True said.

He declined to say what Farmer is doing for work now.

Holly VonLuehrte, chief of staff for current Agriculture Commissioner James Comer, said she was unaware of any current department employees who have been subpoenaed to testify Friday.